Nightmare
by dsolo
Summary: What a Breaking Dawn battle ending would have really meant. Stephenie Meyer owns it all.


Nightmare

Why was I running? I could see the forest whipping away on either side of me, then I felt something on my back. Nessie! How could I have forgotten her? How long had I been running?

It all came back to me then. Bella and Edward saying their goodbyes. The Volturi advancing, aiming at Bella. That strange bloodsucker was beside her and the Volturi kept missing her. Then Bella had looked right at me and mouthed "Run!". I took off while they were still stumbling around. I felt the rest of my pack falling in behind me, covering my escape.

"Don't draw attention to me. I've got to get Nessie to safety. Help Edward take out that tracker leech." I felt Leah's acknowledgement, as they spread out to deflect attention from us. Seth followed Edward and between them the enemy leech never had a chance. Quil and Embry drew the Volturi away from my path, obscuring my scent as they circled.

I left the din of the battle behind me, but I could see it in all the minds I was connected to. I could hear Sam, but not the rest of his pack. I felt pain wash through him as two of the youngest wolves died. He and Paul took out the bloodsucker that got them, but that didn't stop the regret.

Leah was amazing. She was darting between the blinded Volturi, nipping at them and tearing chunks off of them. Suddenly, she yelped and went silent. I groaned inwardly and kept running.

"Sam" I called out mentally. "Stay near Bella and protect her. If she shields you, the whole pack is protected." I heard his affirmative reply, and knew he was sending the message on to the rest of the pack.

Embry was running towards the big Volturi who'd taken Leah out. He leaped on him and began tearing him apart. Seth joined him, but this guy was experienced. He knocked Seth to one side and grabbed Embry. He broke Embry across his knees. I felt his spine crack, and then Embry's voice was still. He turned towards Seth, but before he got his hands on him, Emmett was there, and ripped his head off. . Quil was backing up Kate and Garrett as they went after that weird little leech girl. Everyone knew those were the ones to take out. I saw Quil fall writhing in agony, but that was all it took to distract her long enough for Kate to take her out. Her brother had already been taken out by that creeptacular bloodsucker from Romania. Count Dracula had already started a fire for weird little leech number two, and Kate and Garrett began throwing pieces of his sister on it.

I sent a command to Seth and Quil to get to Sam and Bella. Sam had to survive, to keep the pack together. I watched through their eyes as they wheeled and headed back to Bella. They began pulling away Volturi guards who were surrounding her. I wondered briefly what psycho Blondie was up to and Seth showed me Rosalie, Emmett and Tanya surrounding Caius. I couldn't see the other two Volturi leaders, but that didn't mean they weren't still around. As Caius fell, one of the old bloodsuckers that had been in the protected center, shrieked and ran towards Tanya. I've got to hand it to Blondie. She took her out with one kick.

I saw Bella falling. Edward was beside her, pulling off one of the gray cloaked soldiers. Sam was helping him, but I could tell that Bella's protection would soon be gone. Had she lasted long enough?

Sam and Edward were joined by the rest of the wolves as they fought to protect Bella. It looked like we still had a lot of fighters. Carlisle and Esme were part of the guard around Bella. I saw Esme throw herself in front of one of the guard that was trying to get to Bella, then she was swallowed up by the gray cloaks. Carlisle fought his way to her in a frenzy, and I saw him go down as well. I could feel Seth's anguish as he watched Carlisle and Esme disappear.

I couldn't stop. Nothing was more important than getting Nessie to safety. Bella and Edward understood that. I kept running. Sam, Paul and Jared were still standing. They were keeping the leeches off Bella, but I didn't know how long they could hold out. One of the leeches came towards them with her hands up and I saw Edward falter, his eyes glazing. I sent an urgent message to Sam to take her out. He wheeled and leaped at her. She didn't notice him immediately because she was so focused on Edward. He must have been resisting her, because she was frowning angrily. Sam knocked her down, then Quil and Seth helped him finish the job.

Sam howled as another one of the young wolves died, but he didn't stop, he went back to tearing the guard away from Bella. Suddenly, Edward screamed and fell to his knees. He was quickly overrun by the remaining gray cloaks, but I could tell that he took a couple of them with him.

Nessie was whimpering, and I know she saw everything I saw through our connection. She showed me Bella being torn to pieces. Would we have enough people to survive?

I saw Sam looking around him. The "witness" vampires had taken off. Aro was still standing with his strange bodyguard still touching him. The wolfpack was mostly intact, but the Volturi had been decimated. Aro called for a truce. The remaining Volturi pulled back to listen. The Romanians were hissing with displeasure, but they paused also.

Aro spoke out, "It is obvious that continuing will only mean the destruction of both sides. I propose a truce. We will withdraw to Italy, and in return, this portion of the world will be off limits to us. That also means that we will not interfere if there are problems. You must police yourselves. There will be no repercussions on the covens that stood against us. Is this acceptable?"

Tanya stepped forward at this point, obviously ready to speak for the rest of them. "Your power is diminished, old one. Do you plan to rebuild your strength and come at us in another century? Is this Volturi honor or cunning?"

Aro looked around at the battlefield, "It's true we have lost much today. Perhaps the only one who welcomed his end was Marcus. Still, his loss and that of Caius and his mate will be strongly felt. We still have strength, but both sides are evenly matched. I can foresee no other resolution, except complete destruction for both sides. Who then will maintain order for our kind?" His face looked sad, as he surveyed the pile of ashes that was all that remained of Bella, Edward, Esme and Carlisle, then looked toward the smoking remains of Alec, Jane, Demetri, Marcus and Caius.

Tanya looked around at the remainder of our army. "Shall we trust them or destroy them?"

Dracula 1 and Dracula 2 immediately voted for destruction. The rest of the vampires seemed less sure. Tanya looked at Sam. I watched through Seth's eyes, as he phased back into human form, and stood proudly in front of Aro.

"Our treaty was with the Cullens. So long as any Cullens survive, we will honor that. We will not interfere with any vampire that does not hunt in our land, but we will kill any that hunt humans in a 300 mile radius. Let that warning be heard. We honor the Denali clan as part of the Cullen family."

I could feel Seth's pain as he looked around the battlefield, mourning his sister and Embry. Quil's normal jubilance was also muted as he realized the cost of this war. Had any Cullens survived? Seth turned his head, and I saw Emmett and Rosalie standing close together, identical expressions of loss on their faces. Seth's gaze went from them to the pile of ashes that was all that remained of the rest of the Cullens. I should have know that Rosalie would be tough enough to make it.

Sam phased back, and abruptly I could hear him again. "Keep going Jacob. Keep Nessie safe. I will guard our people."

I sent him a mental thanks, then sent a message to Seth and Quil. "Rejoin Sam, protect the tribe. I will return when I can. Take care of my dad."

I put more miles between us. Nothing was more important than saving Nessie. Keep running.

I woke with a start. That was the third time this week that I'd had the same nightmare, at least Seth had survived in this one. Nessie stirred beside me. "What is it, Jake? Bad dreams again?"

"Yeah, hard to believe that it's been ten years already. We were lucky the Volturi decided backed off."

She smiled her brilliant smile at me. "It wasn't luck. It was my Mama." She touched the locket she always wore. "Never underestimate a mother's love. It makes anything possible."

I laughed, "Yeah, like you, you impossible little freak."

"Are you disappointed that you didn't get to fight them that day?"

"I wouldn't have been fighting anyway. Your mom had other plans for us."

Nessie laughed, "I remember. She put me on your back. We were supposed to run. Good thing that Aunt Alice got back in time and that Papa was smart enough to outwit Aro."

"Yeah, Edward seems to have a flair for the dramatic. I wonder if Aro is still plotting, or if the Volturi have decided to leave well enough alone."

"Alice said that Caius comes up with different plots from time to time, but Aro is avoiding the whole situation. I think he realizes that it would probably have gone badly for the Volturi. Now that he's lost any influence he might have had with Tanya's and Carlisle's family, he's feeling very cautious."

"I wonder who would have won if we'd fought."

"It would have been an empty victory, Jacob. Both sides were trying to take out the strongest members of the opposition. Jane, Alec and Demetri would have been destroyed, but so would my parents. Once she was unable to protect our side, there would have been horrible losses on both sides. They would have both been annihilated."

"Even the wolves?"

"If there were any survivors, it would have been the wolves, but the pack would suffer losses, especially your pack. Maybe none of them would have survived. Leah, for sure would have been an early casualty. She was much unhappier then. There would have been too much loss on both sides. No one would want that. Would it have been worth it to destroy Jane and Alec if my parents had joined them? Or to lose Carlisle or Esme? The Cullens would not have come through that battle without losses. No matter how much you crazy wolves and Uncle Emmett love to fight, I'm glad I didn't lose any of my family. Who wouldn't prefer a battle of wits to a battle to the death?"

"I guess you're right. It just seemed kind of unsatisfying."

"Darling Jacob, you mean you would rather have fought. I don't understand males at all. Peaceful solutions may not seem as exciting, but they are much more satisfying in the end."


End file.
